Congress Combined Student Upload M 04 PDF

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Summary

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Congress in a FLASH

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What is Congress? The United States Congress is the legislative (lawmaking) branch of our federal government. Congress meets in Washington, D.C. to make federal laws—laws that apply to the entire country. Congress is bicameral, which means it is made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each chamber includes elected officials from all fifty states. Congress was created by the Constitution, and that document describes how this branch of government works.

Why Congress? When the Constitution was written, the goal was to create a government that represented the people. Congress works toward this goal by creating laws that reflect the needs and wants of United States citizens. The work Congress does serves the nation as a whole. Senators help by representing the needs of their entire state, while members of the House (also called Representatives) work for the people in a specific section of their state.

How does it work? All of the instructions for Congress can be found in the first section of the Constitution, Article I. It is the longest section of the Constitution, and it covers a lot of ground. How old do you have to be to serve in Congress? How long do you get to serve? How does Congress relate to the other branches? All of this and more can be found in a close read of Article I, but this handy chart shows some of the basics!

Two senators from each state = 100 total

The number of representatives from each state depends on the population = 435 total

Senators must be at least 30, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and live in the state they represent.

Representatives must be at least 25, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent.

… the interests of the citizens across their entire state for a term of six years.

… the interests of the citizens who live in their district (section of a state) for a term of two years.

The Senate approves presidential appointments, All bills that deal with raising money (like taxes) like ambassadors, judges, and cabinet members. must start in the House. Congress can call for the impeachment of the president, pass bills over a presidential veto with 2/3 vote, and create lower federal courts. The president can veto bills from Congress and the Supreme Court can strike down laws as unconstitutional. A bill can start in either chamber. A bill must be approved by BOTH chambers of Congress before it can go to the president to be signed into law.

Reading p.1

Congress in a FLASH

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The Powers of Congress The Constitution also lists the powers Congress has that the other branches and the individual states do not have. These are called enumerated, expressed, or listed powers. The Constitution doesn’t go into much detail, though, which often creates controversy about what Congress is actually allowed to do. Depending on how you count them, there are between 17 and 35 powers on the list. Here are a few: 

Create rules on how to become a citizen

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Establish post offices

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Collect taxes, pay debts, and borrow money

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Protect patents and copyrights

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Create lower federal courts

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Regulate commerce (trade) between the states and with other countries Coin money and punish counterfeiters

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Punish pirates (!)

Declare war, raise and support an Army and Navy Make any other laws that are “necessary and proper” to carry our the powers in this list

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Who’s In Charge? In addition to listing the powers of Congress, the Constitution says who is in charge of each chamber. You may be surprised to learn that the vice president of the United States is also the president of the Senate! (The VP doesn’t get a vote though, except when there’s a tie.) But the VP can’t always be there, so senators also elect a “president pro tempore” who leads when the VP isn’t available. In the House of Representatives, the leader is called the speaker of the House. The representatives vote to decide who their speaker will be. It’s an Paul Ryan (R—Wisconsin) is the current important job—the speaker is second in line to become president of the speaker of the House. United States in an emergency, after the Vice President!

Making Laws Congress makes a law by introducing an idea, discussing and changing it, voting on it, and sending it to the president for approval. The rough draft of a law is called a bill. Bills can start in either chamber of Congress, but the example below starts in the House of Representatives. 1. The Proposal

4. The Floor Debate

7. To the President!

A representative writes a bill and gets support from others in the House.

All of the representatives get a chance to read the bill and debate whether it should be supported or opposed. The bill is read again and changes are suggested.

If both chambers of Congress approve, the bill lands on the president’s desk. If it is signed, it becomes a law. If it is vetoed, it doesn’t.*

2. The Introduction

5. The Vote

The bill is assigned a number and is read aloud to the other Representatives. Then it is sent to a committee for a close review.

If changes are made, the bill is read again, and the whole House is called to vote on the bill. They can vote yes, no, or present (if they don’t want to vote on that particular bill).

3. The Report

6. The Delivery

If the committee likes it, it will be sent to the to the whole House for debate.

The bill arrives at the Senate, where it goes through the same debate, changes are made, then another vote is held before it can move on.

*Congress can override a veto if there are enough votes (2/3 of Congress) to do so. The president can also ignore the bill. If a bill is ignored while Congress is in session, it automatically becomes a law after ten days. If Congress is not in session, it doesn't.

Reading p.2

Congress in a FLASH

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Help the Historian. Someone has found an early copy of the Constitution, but it is in pretty bad shape, and lots of pieces are missing—especially in Article I. Now that you know about Congress, you can help fill in the gaps! Read each excerpt and decide what should go where the numbers are.

SECTION. 2. (1) shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a (2) who shall not have attained to the Age of (3) Years, and been seven Years a (4) of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen…. (5)

SECTION. 3. (1a) of the United States shall be composed of two (1b) from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each … shall have one Vote.

1. Which chamber of congress is Section 2 talking about?

2. What role is missing here?

3. How old must they be to serve?

4. Seven years of being a what ?

5. What does that last part mean? Can you put it in simpler language?

1. Which chamber of congress is Section 3 talking about? What is this role called?

2. How old must they be to serve?

3. How long must they have been a citizen?

No Person shall be a ...who shall not have attained to the Age of (2) Years, and been (3) Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he (4) shall be chosen.

4. FYI– The first woman to be elected to this chamber was Hattie Caraway of Arkansas in 1932.

SECTION. 5.

1. Who makes the rules for how the House and Senate do their jobs?

...Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings (1), punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member … (2)

2. CHALLENGE QUESTION: If the Senate wants to expel a member, how many other Senators have to agree?

Primary Document Activity

Congress in a FLASH

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A. Who does what? Read each statement and decide if it is about the House of Representatives, the Senate, or both! Write the letter on the diagram. The House of Representatives A. Members represent an entire state B. Bills about taxes and money must start here C. Approves presidential appointments D. Members represent citizens E. Serve two-year terms F. Passes bills to the president to become laws G. There are 100 members of this chamber H. Can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote of support I. Must be at least 25 to serve in this chamber J. Led by the vice president of the U.S. K. Leader is called the “speaker” The Senate B. Compromise! Just because Congress is made up of two different chambers, doesn’t mean that they don’t have to work together to get the job done. Read through each version of this imaginary bill to see where common ground might be found. 1. Read both bills. Circle the items that the versions of the bills have in common.

House Version of the Education Bill

2. Find a solution. Select two items that could go in the final section of the bill and write them below. (You may need to find middle ground.) Item One:

 Increase funding for afterschool activities.  Encourage teachers to fundraise for class-

room materials.  Extend the school year by 10 days.

Item Two:

 Lengthen the school day by one hour.  Allow students to create their own classes.

Senate Version of the Education Bill  Cut funding for afterschool activities.  Encourage teachers to buy classroom

materials with their own money.  Extend the school year by 6 days.

3. Getting Support. You had to make some hard choices. Which chamber will support your compromise the most? Would they both agree? Explain your answer.

 Require the school day to start earlier.  Improve school lunches with more local

produce. Worksheet

LawCraft

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1. Bicameral Brainstorm. What do you already know about the United States Congress? Fill in the Venn diagram with as much as you can remember.

2. Where do bills come from? Use what you have learned from the lesson to fill in the missing information. Can you think of any more sources for the idea behind a bill? List them here:

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Lesson Activities

LawCraft

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3. The Lawmaking Process. Keep track of the seven steps that a bill takes before it becomes a law. Title each step, and note the actions taken.

4. A Tale of Two Bills. Use the Senate and House bill to create a compromise version below. Make sure to have two items from the originals!

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Lesson Activities

LawCraft Mini-Quiz

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A. House or Senate or Both? Read each statement and place the correct letter in the diagram to show where it applies.

A. Members of this chamber represent entire states. B. Members of this chamber represent a district within a state. C. A bill must pass this chamber before it is sent to the president.

B. Missing Pieces. Complete each statement with the missing word or number, using the word bank.

1. Congress is made of two chambers, the Senate and House of Representatives. Another word for two chambers is ______________ . 2. The lowest percentage of support a bill can receive and still pass the House or Senate is _________%. 3. Members of the Congress represent the voters back home. These voters are called _______________. 4. If the president vetoes a bill, it can still become law if it gets ____% support in both the House and Senate. C. Multiple Choice. Select the best answer for each question. ____ 5. Which of these is not a source of ideas for new bills? a. Letters and messages from citizens b. Interest Groups c. Top Secret Congress to-do list

____ 6. Which is an example of compromise? a. One side wins everything, and the other side loses everything b. Both sides give up a little and agree on items they have in common

D. True or False? Select the best answer for each question. Write true or false in the space provided. ________ 7. If the House and Senate version of a bill do not agree, it is thrown in the trash. ________ 8. Congress is made up of two chambers, the Senate and House of Representatives. ________ 9. The President of the United States has the final say on whether a bill becomes a law. Select one false statement and rewrite it, correcting the mistake below.

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Mini-Quiz...